


Machiavellian Does Not Mean Victorious

by Kitty Eden (TheBigCat)



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Capture-the-flag, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Friendship, Gen, Nonbinary Doctor (Doctor Who), This Tag Is Just Here To Let The AO3 Wranglers Know That I Appreciate Them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 03:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16462106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigCat/pseuds/Kitty%20Eden
Summary: In which the entire camp is taking Capture-The-Flag far too seriously, Evelyn is a warrior queen of the non-pirate variety, and the contents of Ace's Battle Rucksack are the subject of much dissent and disapproval.





	Machiavellian Does Not Mean Victorious

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sixth_dr_whomst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixth_dr_whomst/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Alternate Does Not Mean Unconnected](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938872) by [sixth_dr_whomst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixth_dr_whomst/pseuds/sixth_dr_whomst). 



> Part of sixth_dr_whomst's PJO AU!! Read Alternate Does Not Mean Unconnected first please because a) it's GOOD and b) I'm not entirely sure that this will make sense otherwise.
> 
> Haven I'm so sorry for stealing your characters and AU but gods I just love it so much. like so much.
> 
> here we go kids

“– it really is ridiculously cold out tonight – don’t forget to wrap up warm, everybody…”

 Evelyn Smythe is a force of nature, Mel decides as she witnesses the rather impressive sight of one relatively short daughter of Athena managing to mother literally everybody remaining in the cabin at once. 

“And yes,” says Alary, catching Mel’s eye as they are passed their usual tartan scarf, which had apparently been lost somewhere in the back depths of the cabin up until now, “in case you’re wondering, she always does this before Capture-the-Flag.”

“Ah,” says Mel, grinning, and goes to find her spear, which has rolled under her bed during all the chaos and is now covered in dust. As she sits on the floor cross-legged, brushing the worst of the dirt off it, there is a knock on the door of the cabin, and she looks up to see a friend loitering awkwardly in the doorframe.

 "Darcy!" she exclaims.

"Hullo, Mel," they say, fiddling with the hem of their orange camp shirt. "I thought I'd drop in - see how you were doing before the game tonight."

"I would have thought you'd be with Peri," Alary says.

Darcy pulls a face. "Unfortunately, the Demeter cabin are _not_ one of my cabin's allies this time around," they say. "And from what Peri hinted at dinner; they are planning something for tonight that I am not allowed to look in on."

"Sounds ominous," Mel remarks.

"Indeed," Darcy says, and leans around the doorframe. Most of the other residents have already left, but there are still a few people scattered around. "Hello, Evelyn!"

"Darcy," she says, smiling over at them. "Just a moment - I have something for you. Alary, have you seen my crossbow?"

"I'm afraid not." Alary winds their scarf carefully around their neck. "Have you tried the workstation?"

"I haven't - I will now, thank you."

For some reason, Darcy’s face falls a bit as they witness this exchange. “Oh no, Evelyn – you aren’t going to play tonight, are you?”

“Of course I am,” she says briskly, and bends down to scoop up a brightly-colored bundle of wool from her bed. She walks across to the doorway, and pushes it at them, not ungently. “Put this on, Darcy; you’re shivering. And don’t just stand there in the doorway,” she adds, turning away to go back to look through her possessions. "Either go away or come in. You're blocking the way for everybody else."

“Evelyn, I am perfectly fine,” they argue, although they do step into the cabin, moving over to stand near Alary and Mel. Alary is flicking through a book of Ella Fitzgerald jazz scores and muttering under their breath - apparently doing some last-minute memorization work. "You, however, may not be."

"Put the blasted jumper on, Darcy," Evelyn says flatly. "I spent far too long knitting it for you to not use it at this point."

Darcy lifts the jumper up, looking at it properly for the first time. A multitude of emotions coast over their face. They end up settling on vague confusion. "It's… rainbow."

"Yes, I know," she says, fondly exasperated. "I thought it would be just hideous enough for you to appreciate it."

At this, Darcy makes a noise of indignation, but looks up at her with an expression that indicates stunned appreciation. "I - well, thank you, Evelyn. But I'm afraid I can't wear this."

"Why, because your oversized ego won't allow you to accept gifts from other people?" she asks. There's a smile in her voice, even though she's not facing them at the moment.

"No - it's because, as delightfully warm and comfortable this particular gift may be, we are playing a game tonight that primarily relies on stealth," he tells her. "And while I do enjoy bright colors and pull them off stunningly, if I may say so myself; they are not exactly conducive to camouflage."

"That is true," Evelyn allows. "However, if you will look inside just inside the lining -"

Mel comes over to look under Darcy's shoulder as they fumble around, folding back the edge of the jumper to reveal a tiny red question mark carefully sewn in. Darcy prods at it tentatively, and Mel draws in a tiny breath of surprise as the wool rearranges itself before their eyes; stitches flowing away and out so that the rainbow patterning is swiftly replaced by a more sedate, calm blue.

Darcy is already pulling it on before it's even finished transforming. They're grinning widely. "Thank you, Evelyn, I - how did you even-?"

"I knitted it. Alary helped with the enchantment," she tells them.

"I did," Alary agrees, throwing down the music book onto their bed before reaching out to tug their umbrella from thin air. "If the magic unravels at any point, tell me and I'll do my best to recast it." They pick up their sword from the rack hanging above their bed, and sheath it over their back.

Mel can't remember ever seeing Darcy so happy, but then the massive grin on their face fades, and is quickly replaced by that same quiet worry from before. "Evelyn… are you sure you're up for this?"

"I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Darcy," says Evelyn, with no small amount of finality in her tone, "it's very sweet of you to worry -" and here she finally finds what she's looking for; and tugs the largest crossbow that Mel has ever seen in her life out from under her bed. She checks the drawstring tension with practiced ease, and loops a satchel of bolts over her back before looking back at them, "- but as you very well know, I can take care of myself."

Mel's respect and awe for Evelyn Smythe rockets upwards a hundredfold. Darcy presses their lips together hard, looking irritated by this, but doesn't say anything else, and within minutes, the remaining Athena campers, plus Darcy, are heading down to the forest where everybody is due to gather.

On the way down, Mel touches Alary's arm, drawing their attention - Darcy and Evelyn are up ahead, arguing light-heartedly about something inconsequential; which appears to be archaic English operetta tonight, of all things.

"Darcy seems very worried about Evelyn," she says quietly. "Is she all right?"

Alary twirls their umbrella and presses their lips tightly together and says, "Evelyn has a heart condition."

"Oh," says Mel, eyes widening.

"She, Darcy and another camper were on a quest a few years ago - she didn't tell either of them about it; and she," Alary sighs, "well, she had a heart attack, in the middle of a fight with a _dracaenae_. That's how Darcy found out. They had to cut the quest short, and she was fine after a couple weeks recovery, but… Darcy worries. As do I."

Mel doesn't say anything - doesn’t quite know what to say. She just nods and listens.

"She'd never let it stop her, of course," Alary continues, fondness tinging their voice, and then they sigh again, and fall into silence, like they're not sure what to say next, either.

Mel presses a hand to their shoulder, and they smile at her and lean into it as the two of them come to a brief halt in the middle of the hill. It's a quiet, peaceful moment, and they stay there like that for a minute or two before starting to walk again.

"Professor!" comes a yell from higher up the hill. "Wait up!"

Alary turns, smiling, and so does Mel - and within seconds, Ace has caught up to them. She's wearing her usual badge-covered bomber jacket and is currently in the process of tugging a worn old rucksack over her shoulders.

"Hello, Ace. There'd better not be any explosives in that bag of yours," Alary says, tone indicating that they're only half-joking.

"Course not," Ace says, but Mel can see that her fingers are crossed behind her back. She suspects that Alary can see too, but is content to stay quietly disapproving until explosives are actually needed. (Apparently high explosives are kind of Ace's thing, or so she's gathered.)

They reach the bottom of the hill, joining the crowd that's already been gathering at the base of the podium that's been placed there. The conversation rises and falls naturally around them - Alary's melancholy has all but evaporated. There's a distinct feeling of excitement in the air tonight.

"Good evening, campers," Chiron calls from the front. "The game is about to start, so if you would all settle down; it would be much appreciated. Thank you." He's silent for a moment or two, and then speaks again when everybody's stopped talking. "For tonight's game of Capture-the-Flag, the red team, led by the - it says here, 'the relentless Miss Trey' from Cabin Five, has allied with Cabins Four, Seven and Eleven. The blue team - led by Evelyn of Cabin Six - is comprised of… everybody else." He frowns, and looked down at his notes briefly, as if unsure whether he had read them correctly. "Is that right?"

"Yes," says someone who is apparently Trey. "That's all we need."

Mel has to stand on her toes to see her, because the leader of the red team is actually pretty short. She's standing at the front of the crowd, holding the red flag with one hand. There is a dagger tucked into a sheath at her waist. She appears perfectly calm, and just a little smug too, although Mel can't see why. The Hermes cabin is pretty large, but the rest of the cabins on their team only have a few people in them each. The camp is still pretty empty, although according to Darcy, it'll fill up quite swiftly as the month progresses. At a quick estimate, Mel's pretty sure that the blue team has the advantage in sheer numbers.

"Very well," says Chiron, recovering from the surprise, and addresses the crowd of campers once again. "You all know the rules - the creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. Magic items and abilities are permitted - killing and maiming are _not._ The demigod mortality rate does not need to rise any higher than it currently is. Teams may head out in five minutes - the game begins in fifteen. Red team to the East Wood, blue team to the West. Good luck," he added, and then withdrew.

Almost instantly, everybody began to move to their teams. Chatter and shouting filled the air.

"Trey's back," Alary says from somewhere behind Mel, with some amount of surprise in their voice. "I hadn't heard."

"If Trey's leading the other team, we're going to have to get creative," Darcy says, moving to stand next to Mel.

"Why - who's Trey?" Mel asks and looking at her friends, who are all wearing various expressions of trepidation. "She's from the Ares cabin, right?"

"Trey…" Darcy trails off, searching for words, and then shrugs.

"She's _ruthless_ in battle _,_ " Ace says. "Great at tactical stuff, and her team hardly ever loses when she's leading. We call her the War Queen. She gives great hugs, though," she added contemplatively.

"Hugging the opposing team is not advised," Alary tells Mel seriously. "Ace just enjoys flirting with disaster."

"It's true, I do," Ace agrees with no visible trace of shame.

Evelyn passes them, hoisting the blue flag over one shoulder and her crossbow over the other. "I'm issuing a blanket ban on hugs in general," she calls over at them. "Team meeting at the far west of the forest. Hurry up."

"That being said," Alary adds, "Evelyn can be plenty ruthless herself when she feels like it."

"No hugs? Terrible," Darcy says, frowning.

"Yeah, she's got the power of god and chocolate cake on her side," Ace says, grinning. "Come on, you lot. Let's see what our crossbow-wielding overlord has planned for tonight."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> not sure when more will Occur but have this for now!


End file.
